[TaoColorist] Sunday Newsletter: The Why the Bias Light? Edition

Published: Sun, 02/01/15

Trouble reading this newsletter? Read it online: http://www.aweber.com/t/SDCi5

The Tao Colorist Newsletter

Curated links of news, reviews, thoughts, career advice, and humor 
for professional Video / Film Colorists & Finishers. Delivered Sunday.

         Issue CCXXVIII                                                                        A TaoOfColor.com Publication

     Publisher: Pat Inhofer                                                            Managing Editor: Jim Wicks

From the Publisher

  • It's here: Super Bowl Sunday.
  • As a long-suffering Jets fan I'm torn...
  • ​If I support the team representing my conference, I'm supporting our (cheating) arch rival (and the Tao Treasurer who has a strange New England fetish).
  • If I support the 'other' team, I'm supporting a coach who has found success with every team he's coached—except the New York Jets.
  • G-r-r-r-r-r
  • What's a fan to do?
  • I'm doing what any irrational fan-atic would do—I"m hoping they both lose.
  • And my more rational fall-back position?
  • Go Seattle! / Down with Brady!
[change of subject]
  • NAB is quickly approaching.
  • That means the Colorist Mixer is also approaching.
  • The Colorist Mixer is a joint effort between ICA, Mixing Light and Tao Of Color.
  • Our goal is bring together colorists, DPs, Finishers, their assistants and the vendors who serve that community.
  • It's a low-key event that happens Sunday April 12 (the night before the show floor opens).
  • The rest of the details? Coming soon.
  • You'll be the first to know when we're taking sign-ups.
  • Just like last year, tickets will be limited.
  • If you have even an inkling you might want to attend, put your email address in the no-obligation hopper.
  • We'll use your email only to announce when tickets go on sale! And before we announce it anywhere else.
  • See you next week.  
Happy Grading!

The Craft

  • [video] A Day in the Life - spend a day color grading Dolphin Tale 2. Technicolor Colorist Mike Sowa explains what a colorist does. Well executed. (youtube.com)
  • Discover Music Through Colors - well, not color grading related... but color related—discover music by selecting a color. Album covers matching that color are presented, helping you find music to match your mood. Click through and explore. (predominant.ly  via fastcodesign.com)

S P O N S O R E D   M E S S A G E

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The Tools

  • [video] Sapphire 8: S_Effect - Last week we shared a link of an interview with GenArts about their new effects builder plug-in. Here's a tutorial on how to use it. (youtube.com)
  • Why A Post House Edits video with DaVinci Resolve (instead of FCP X) - a list 6 reasons. Our fav: number 5 - seamless integration. Although reason #6? Mixed feelings.  (provideocoalition.com)
  • XML, AAF, EDL, WTF? - it’s the alphabet soup nomenclature that colorists (or their assistants) use every day. But do you know what the three letters stand for, what they do and why everyone can't agree on just one of them? (postperspective.com)
  • [videos] Grading Blackmagic RAW - check out this two part tutorial on grading Blackmagic’s Pocket Cinema Camera. Part 1 covers importing an XML into Resolve from Premiere. Part 2 focuses on primaries and shot matching. (youtu.be Part 1 | Part 2)
  • [update] Lock and Load: Faster Stabilization In FCPX - CoreMelt's plug-in's "new features include faster analysis, up to a 30% gain on the previous version and now three times faster than the FCPX built in stabiliser." Also adds multi-GPU support on the Mac Pro Tube. (fcp.co)
  • [webinar] Advanced Finishing In Resolve 11 - in this Newsletter, a most excellent friend of this newsletter, Alexis van Hurkman, "shows you how Boris Continuum Complete and Mocha Pro from Imagineer Systems can be used to do complex finishing and visual effects directly within Resolve. " (borisfx.com)
  • What ‘MacKeeper’ Is and Why You Should Avoid It - if you're looking to optimize the speed of your rig, here's one app you should avoid. If their scammy internet marketing tricks don't put you off, this article will. (imore.com)
  • Backup Strategies - you’ve edited, color graded, your client is happy, you’re happy. Now is the time to backup your work and move on. But which is the best way to archive? It’s definitely a love-hate relationship.  (provideocoalition.com)

The Business

  • Filmmakers Blur Lines With Virtual Reality At Sundance - 11 VR films, with wrap-around headsets, the biggest such lineup in Sundance history. (ibtimes.co.uk)
  • [video] George Lucas and Robert Redford On Working Outside Hollywood - you can drop in on the conversation, recorded at Sundance.  (hollywoodreporter.com)
  • Tough Times At DreamWorks Animation - "now comes a drastic restructuring that will see the closure of its prime PDI DreamWorks studio in Redwood, California and the loss of 500 jobs across the company," Click through for details and a recap of its troubled history. (redsharknews.com)
  • [review] Sling TV: They've Figured Out Internet Television - "It's the $20 answer to everything that's kept me from paying for cable TV service. It's wonderful. It's also ruining my life." (gizmodo.com)
Friends and Family
The stories featured in this section are from MixingLight.com, a companion color correction membership website to TaoOfColor.com. Want to read a story listed here but not a member? Sign up for a free 24-hour Test Drive.
  • [video] Rediscover The Basics: Node Operations in DaVinci Resolve - "If you sharpen in one node and then add a qualifier after are you getting the best key possible? . . . I subconsciously build an order of operations for working with nodes which I share" (mixinglight.com)
  • [video] Can LAB Corrections Be Exported As RGB LUTs? - "In this Insight I’m going to create four different corrections in Photoshop CC 2014—in the LAB color space—and I’ll export them as .cube files to use in DaVinci Resolve . . . Each of the four LUTs will get more and more extreme as I try to ‘break’ the LUT and find the limits of the technology." (mixinglight.com)
    Outside the Box
    • Comedy is easy, editing is hard - comedian and actor Kevin Pollack can add 'editor' to his list of credentials. Kevin talks about editing his new documentary on Premiere Pro. His teacher: editor and VFX Supervisor Rob Legato, no less. (library.creativecow.net)
    Edumacate Yer'self
    • HPA Tech Retreat: Registration Closes On Monday - "The event offers four solidly scheduled days of sessions, demonstrations and events, and delivers a forward looking perspective on an industry continuing its dynamic and rapid transformation of how content is created, finished, distributed".  (provideocoalition.com)
    • [webinar] How Can Professionals Speed Up Their 4K Workflow? - a Feb 24 webinar hosted by Jeff Greenberg. Scroll to the bottom for the registration link.  (provideocoalition.com)
    • NAB 2015: Aerial Robotics and Drone Pavilion - "It's set to feature a flying cage, a demonstration area with seating, and daily sessions so it's no wonder people are already starting to get excited about it." Click through for more details. (provideocoalition.com)
    Current Colorist Control Surface Drivers
    JL Cooper Eclipse: Software v3.0 | Updated October 20, 2014
     
    Tangent Design: HUB v1.1.7 | Wave Firmware v1.12 | Updated July'ish 2014
     
    Avid Artist Color: Mac v3.2.1 | Win v3.2.1 | Updated Nov 14, 2014
    Sunday Morning Funnies

    • A Video Game About Building Ikea Furniture! - "Why pay Ikea to torture yourself when you can simulate the experience for free?" (fastcodesign.com)
    • [video] The KillCameraman - if you're a Call of Duty video game fan, this is a fun trailer while poking fun at the first person shooter genre. If you don't know Call of Duty - probably not so funny. (youtube.com)
    • [video] Batman Evolution (set to music) - thePianoGuys cover the 3 major musical themes used in the different Batman series.. Impressively executed.  (vimeo.com)
    • [video] Yellowstone: How Not To Manage A National Park - Not funny. But fascinating. A great piece about a century of gross mismanagement of America's first National Park. And how the reintroduction of wolves changed the course of its rivers. Literally. Scroll to the bottom for the video. (kottke.org)
    • Artists Cover A Chinese Street In 13 Tons Of Candy - to celebrate the Chinese New Year, which starts on Feb. 13. Pretty. (fastcodesign.com)
    • [spoilers] Watch All The Ads From Super Bowl 2015 So Far - or at least, those that have been released before the Big Event. (fastcocreate.com)

    Do you want to learn color correction
    (while mastering DaVinci Resolve 11)?


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    Gear Heads

    • Bias Lighting: From Theory to DIY Solution - when building your color suite pay special attention to bias lighting for your HD (or 4K) display. It helps take the strain off your eyes. It'll also help you create grades that look proper in most home viewing conditions. It's critical for any professional setup.  (biaslighting.blogspot.com)
    • Why The Bias Light? - if you're new to the concept of the Bias Light, read on. (cinemaquestinc.com)
    • Bias Light: Upgrade Your Suite - long-time Newsletter sponsor, Flanders Scientific, sells a variety of bias lights at reasonable prices. (shopfsi.com
    • [video] How to upgrade iMac RAM - got a new iMac and need to upgrade your RAM to 32GB? Super simple: Watch this 8 minute video. (fstoppers.com)
    • Capturing 4K ProRes With The Flex 4K and Odyssey 7Q - "The Flex4K uses dual 3G-SDI connectors to send out a clean Log or Rec709 4K signal, and with the latest firmware update for the Odyssey 7Q, you can now capture that signal as UHD ProRes 4:2:2. I’ll take you through the steps necessary for setup..." (blog.abelcine.com)
    • Dell Upgrades Mobile Workstation Laptops With 4K - and the update "gives the new system a much higher-resolution screen than the 2,880-by-1,800 display on the Retina Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch." (pcmag.com)
    • Boxx Upgrades Mobile Workstations With UHD Displays - "Boxx says these machines are "nearly identical in size and weight" to the Dell Precision M3800 workstation, but boasts of higher specs for certain components" (studiodaily.com)
    • GeForce GTX 980 vs 9 Other GPUs - running Resolve. (barefeats.com)
    • Have I Finally Perfected My Backup Strategy? - or: How many drives and solutions does it take to protect your data? (provideocoalition.com)
    • Tiny SSD - Samsung launches a new SSD portable drive that’s about the size of a business card. Available in 256GB to 1TB. And a price that’s anything but small. (redsharknews.com)

    The Next Step Is A Doozy

    • Comcast: Cursing Out Its ex-Customers - in the U.S., Comcast - which owns Universal Studios and NBC - probably doesn’t relish being one of those companies that many Americans love to hate. But sometimes, the cable giant makes it way too easy. (wired.com)

    A Step Too Far

    • How To 3D Print Your Own HDMI Camera Display - if you don’t want a off-the-shelf camera monitor, then 3D print one! It’s a DIY home project in which you get your very own 3D printer + 21 parts. (learn.adafruit.com)

    Th- Th- That's ALL Folks! See you next week. 
    Happy Grading!
      
    7,650+ Stories Now Shared
    The Book Shelf
    • Color Correction Handbook, Updated - Alexis Van Hurkman has updated his Color Correction Handbook, which has set the standard for learning all things color correction. (amazon.com)
    • Color Correction Look Book - This is the second part of the Color Correction Handbook, exploring the creative techniques for over 200 different visual looks. A sort-of recipe book for colorists. (amazon.com
    • The Art and Technique of Digital Color Correction - Read how a dozen different colorists grade the same footage with the same gear, differently. A fantastic approach to learning the craft of color grading by Steve Hullfish. (amazon.com)
    • Autodesk Smoke Essentials - Walk through grading a short sci-fi film (with downloadable ProRes4444 source material) while learning the ultimate online finishing app...  Autodesk Smoke. (amazon.com)
    • Color Grading with Avid and Symphony - Written for version 6. Fully applicable to version 7. I was a contributor. (amazon.com)
    • Adobe Speedgrade CC: Classroom in a Book - A solid book for a solid grading app. (amazon.com)
    • Digital Cinematography: Fundamentals, Tools, Techniques and Workflows - Don't let the title fool you. I'm only a third way through this book and its explanations of how digital images are recorded, sampled and viewed is essential knowledge for anyone who's craft intersects with digital images. Not light reading. But not filled with math either. I highly recommend this book. (amazon.com)
      Have a book you think should be in this list? Reply to this email and let me know!

      FCC Disclaimer: Links in this email to Amazon.com, B&H Photo, or ToolFarm are Affiliate links that help support the TaoOfColor.com. FSI is a paid sponsor and BlackMagic Design is a current client. We thank you for your support.

      Patrick Inhofer
      Managing Editor:
      Jim Wicks, Colorist: jimwicks.com
      Patrick Inhofer
      Published by:
      Patrick Inhofer: Photon-Wrangler, Fini.tv | TaoOfColor.com | MixingLight.com